Show ContentsShackelton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Shackelton surname was a habitational name from Scackleton, a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire. 1 The village is mentioned three times in the Domesday Book as Scacheldene or Scachelsey. 2

The place name probably means "valley by a point of land," from the Old English scacol + denu. 3 Another source claims the word "scacol," describes a "tongue of land."

Early Origins of the Shackelton family

The surname Shackelton was first found in Lancashire where Hugh Schacheliton was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1246. Hugh Shakeldene was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1302. 1

"The Shackletons were one of the most notable Quaker families in Ireland. Their famous school at Ballitore, Co. Kildare, where Edmund Burke was educated, was founded by Abraham Shackleton, a native of Yorkshire, in 1726. His son Richard Shackleton and his grandson Abraham Shackleton carried on the school with success. His daughter, Mary Leadbeater (1726-1826), the author of poems and essays, left a valuable account of rural life in the eighteenth century. Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922), the Antarctic explorer, was of the same Co. Kildare family." 4

The Shackell variant has the same root and "is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Shakell'; compare the local Shackleton." 5 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include Willelmus Shakelle. 5

In Norfolk, The Vicarage of Corpesty, Norfolk, 'was sold by Heydon to Thomas Jecks and John Shakle, and by them to the Bacons, 1611.' 6 "This form still remains in Norfolk, Shackle being found in the Modern Domesday Book for that county." 5

Early History of the Shackelton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shackelton research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1246, 1280, 1302, 1597, 1601, 1602, 1697, 1726, 1728, 1761, 1771, 1792, 1826, 1862, 1874 and 1922 are included under the topic Early Shackelton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shackelton Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Shackleton, Shackle, Sheckleton and others.

Early Notables of the Shackelton family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Abraham Shackleton (1697-1771), English schoolmaster, the youngest of six children, was born at Shackleton House, near Bingley in the West Riding of Yorkshire. His parents were Quakers. He moved to Ireland, and became a tutor to the children of...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shackelton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Shackelton family to Ireland

Some of the Shackelton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 124 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Shackelton family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Margaret Shackleton, a bonded passenger, who arrived in America in 1751; Edward Shackleton, a bonded passenger, who arrived in Maryland in 1758; Thomas G. Shackleton, on record as a British Alien in America in 1810.


Contemporary Notables of the name Shackelton (post 1700) +

  • William Shackelton, American cameraman, known for his work in Cherry Crush (2007), The Hammer (2010) and The Aggression Scale (2012)
  • Richard Shackelton, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Warren County, 1830-31 7
  • John H. Shackelton, American politician, Mayor of Saginaw, Michigan, 1887-88 7
  • James M. Shackelton, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Governor of Michigan, 1904; Prohibition Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 3rd District, 1906 7
  • George J. Shackelton, American politician, Village President of Clam Lake, Michigan, 1874, 1875 7


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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